Latest News
Shanaka and Rathnayake blow Oman away with frenetic half-centuries
Sri Lanka’a powerful middle order blew Oman away in Pallekele, helping them sweep to a 105-run win. In perhaps the most one-sided game of the T20 World Cup so far, Dasun Shanaka struck Sri Lanka’s fastest ever T20I half-century, in 19 balls, while a 28-ball 60 from Pavan Rathnayake and 61 by Kusal Mendis propelled Sri Lanka to 225, this World Cup’s highest score and Sri Lanka’s second-highest in T20 World Cups.
Oman did strike early when Jay Odedra cleaned up Kamil Mishara, but the wickets they took never stymied the flow of runs. Pathum Nissanka was trapped up front off the first ball of the sixth over by Sufyan Mehmood, but it still went for 16. And the middle overs saw Mendis ensure the run rate only ever kept rising. The fireworks from Rathnayake and Shanaka in the second half of the innings powered Sri Lanka well beyond Oman’s batting capabilities.
The total was never likely to be challenged, and while Oman tried damage limitation, even that was less than successful. Dushmantha Chameera cleaned up Jatinder Singh first ball, and Oman went on to lose two more wickets in a powerplay where only 36 runs were scored. Maheesh Theekshana was sensational throughout his four-over spell, conceding just 11 runs, and made the task much easier for his fellow bowlers. Much of what followed was both sides largely going through the motions. Oman limped to 120, largely thanks to Mohammad Nadeem’s half-century – which makes him the oldest half-centurion at a men’s T20 World Cup. But it was little more than a footnote as Sri Lanka romped to victory in Pallekele’s first match at this World Cup.
In the overs when a bowling side might generally be expected to rein in the scoring, Oman’s disciplines wavered, and Sri Lanka made them pay. The three overs after the powerplay produced just 21 for Sri Lanka, but as Wasim Ali was wrapping up another tidy over, he overstepped, and then overstepped on the free-hit ball again. The over ended up leaking 17, and kicked off a four-over spell where 54 runs were scored. It set up the perfect platform for Rathnayake and Shanaka to exploit at the death.
By the 15th over, Sri Lanka were on course for a total beyond Oman’s reach, but the carnage was only just starting. Shanaka had made a sedate start, with seven in his first seven balls, but would need just 12 more to get to 50, beating his own Sri Lankan record for the fastest T20I half-century. It began with a six and a four off Jiten Ramanandi before Nadeem Khan was carted around for a 20-run over, and Sufyan for 19 more. The last five overs fetched the hosts 79, comfortably the highest at the death at this World Cup.
His wicket-taking days weren’t done, though, and he demonstrated a willingness to come on anytime the batters clawed the slightest momentum back. Dushan Hemantha was hit for two sixes in the 11th by Wasim Ali, and Theekshana was straight back on, and had Wasim caught behind before the over was out. He rounded out his spell with a miserly one-run over, finishing with 2 for 11, comfortably the most economical four-over spell this World Cup.
Brief scores:
Sri Lanka 225 for 5 in 20 overs (Pathum Nissanka 13, Kusal Mendis 61, Pavan Rathnayake 60, Dasun Shanaka 50, Kamindu Mendis 19-; Jay Odedra 1-14, Sufiyan Mahmood 1-60. Jiten Ramanandi 2-41) beat Oman 120 for 9 in 20 overs (Mohammad Nadeem 53*, Wasim Ali 27; Maheesh Theekshana 2-11, Dushmantha Chameera 2-19, Dunith Wellalage 2-17, Dushan Hemantha 1-45, Kamindu Mendis 1-10) by 105 runs
[Cricinfo]
Spain has started evacuating passengers from a hantavirus-stricken cruise ship anchored near Tenerife in the Canary Islands.
Health Minister Mónica García said the operation was “proceeding normally” and that all passengers on board the MS Hondius were still asymptomatic.
They will be divided into groups by nationality and ferried to the coast in small boats. Charter planes will be on the tarmac at the local airport, ready to repatriate them to their home countries.
Fourteen Spanish nationals will be the first to disembark, then those flown out by the Netherlands, including Dutch, Greek and German passengers, and part of the crew.
Other flights are poised to leave after that, including to the UK and US. The last evacuation flight is expected to leave on Monday to Australia.
With a long camera lens, passengers could be seen wandering around on the deck of the ship, or at the windows, all in white medical face masks, as the first evacuation took place.
Several sat socially distanced on the small evacuation boat, filming and taking photos as they approached land, where they were met by officials in white protective suits.
The Hondius pulled into the port of Granadilla before dawn on Sunday, a month after the first passenger died on board.
The sun then rose to reveal it anchored offshore, with military police boats on patrol and a major operation unfolding on land to help more than 100 passengers and crew disembark.
At about 07:00 (06:00 GMT) on Sunday, medical teams went on board to check everyone for signs of the virus.
There have been meticulous preparations to receive the ship, which won’t be permitted to reach shore: a security perimeter of one nautical mile was enforced around it as it approached the island.
Dozens of intensive care specialists are on stand-by at the Candelaria hospital in Tenerife in case anyone from the Hondius becomes seriously ill during the transfer. A strict isolation facility has one bed fully equipped to deal with infectious diseases, complete with testing kit and a ventilator.
“We are absolutely ready,” chief intensive care doctor Mar Martin told me on the unit, where large numbers of protective suits, masks and gloves are already piled up for staff.
“We’ve never seen [hantavirus] before – but it’s a virus, with some complications, just like we manage every day. We are fully trained for that.”
The complex operation to prevent the rare Andes strain of this virus spreading is described by Spain’s health minister as “unprecedented”.
On Saturday, she stressed that the risk of contagion for the general population was low. “We believe that alarmism, misinformation and confusion are contrary to the basic principles of preserving public health.”
Security measures in the port, an industrial facility in the south of Tenerife, increased notably on Saturday. Spain’s military police and disaster response teams have both set up large reception tents and access to the waterfront is restricted.
Spanish nationals leaving the ship will be flown to Madrid, where they face a mandatory quarantine in the Gomez Ulla military hospital. Complete isolation would be gruelling – the virus has an incubation period of up to nine weeks – and it is not clear how long people in Spain or elsewhere will be quarantined.
The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, now in Tenerife to oversee the disembarking, has praised the authorities for their “solid and effective response” to this outbreak.
It has been linked to a landfill site in the southernmost tip of Argentina, popular with birdwatchers. The virus is carried there by rodents, and it’s rare for it to pass between people, but three cruise passengers have died.
The WHO boss has urged nervous Spaniards to trust those in charge of the evacuation.
“Your concern is legitimate, because of the experience of Covid: that trauma is still in our minds,” he acknowledged. But he added that the risk of wider contagion now was low “because of how the virus works, and because of how the Spanish government has prepared to avoid any problem”.
There was some anger here when people learned the Hondius was being diverted to their island.
On Friday, a group of port workers gathered outside the local parliament in noisy protest, concerned that safety measures were not strong enough.
Then very late last night, all the carefully laid plans were briefly thrown into chaos when the president of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, said he would refuse to permit the ship into port as the disembarkation could not be done in a day. The central government in Madrid had to intervene.
Clavijo then claimed on TV that a rat carrying the hantavirus might “get off the ship in the middle of the night and endanger the people of the Canary Islands”. The health secretary had to come out and insist that such a scenario was “not a risk”.
In general, people on the island seem reassured that the risk is low.
“The virus is dangerous, of course. But they say you need to have very close contact to get it,” a woman named Jennifer told me, out walking with her child in Tenerife’s capital Santa Cruz.
“If we’re careful, we hope it’s not too serious.”
Not everyone will disembark in Tenerife from the Hondius: some 30 crew members will stay on board to take the cruise ship back to the Netherlands. But for most, there is at last an end in sight to weeks of fear and uncertainty at sea.
Now come the long weeks of quarantine.
[BBC]
The Landslide Early Warning Center of the Building Research Organisation [NBRO| has issued Landslide Early Warnings to the Districts of Badulla and Moneragala valid upto 2130 hrs today [10th May 2026]
Accordingly,
Level I [Yellow] landslide early warnings have been issued to the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surrounding areas of Passara in the Badulla district and Badalkumbura and Wellawaya in the Monaragala District.
Spain starts evacuating virus-hit cruise ship in Tenerife
“Sri Lanka must shape the future of AI through policy, ethics, and inclusive governance, not simply adapt to it.” – Prime Minister
Bangladesh announce Women’s T20 World Cup squad, pick only two pacers
Landslide Early Warnings issued to the districts of Badulla and Monaragala
Successful Digital Education depends on strong infrastructure, quality content, and Teacher Training — PM
Navy renders assistance to bring ashore injured fisherman for urgent medical attention
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
Sunday Island 27 December – Headlines
#SundayIsland 17th December – Headlines
Sunday Island – 28th March
Sunday Island Headlines – 21 March
Sunday Island – 21st February – Headlines
-
News4 days agoMIT expert warns of catastrophic consequences of USD 2.5 mn Treasury heist
-
News6 days agoCJ urged to inquire into AKD’s remarks on May 25 court verdict
-
News7 days agoUSD 3.7 bn H’tota refinery: China won’t launch project without bigger local market share
-
Editorial4 days agoClean Sri Lanka and dirty politics
-
Editorial7 days agoDeliver or perish
-
Opinion6 days agoSecurity, perception, and trust: Sri Lanka’s delicate balancing act
-
News20 hours agoLanka Port City officials to meet investors in Dubai
-
News2 days agoSLPP expresses concern over death of former SriLankan CEO